Picante de huevos – fiery eggs

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This glorious Peruvian baked eggs recipe from Martin Morales is richly flavoured with two types of chilli paste made from Peruvian chillies, providing unparalleled flavour. You can prepare and store the chilli pastes ahead of time to make weekend brunching particularly hassle-free, if desired. This recipe is taken from Andina: The Heart of Peruvian Food by Martin Morales, published by Quadrille. Photography by David Loftus.

First published in 2018

If you want a dish to really wake you up and give you oomph for the day ahead, this recipe does the trick. It’s a firm brunch favourite at Andina, with people coming from far and wide to try it.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Panca chilli paste (makes about 30ml)

Amarillo chilli paste (makes about 100ml)

Eggs

Equipment

  • Food processor or blender

Method

1
First, make the chilli pastes. For the panca chilli paste, cover the dried chillies in water and soak for 2 hours. Drain and blend, add salt to taste and set aside until needed
2
While the panca chillies are soaking, make the amarillo chilli paste. Heat the oil in a small frying pan over a low–medium heat. Fry the onion for 7–8 minutes until soft, but not browned, then add the garlic and chilli and fry for 2–3 minutes more to soften. Season with salt to taste, then allow to cool completely. When cool, blitz to a smooth paste, then set aside until needed. (You can store any leftover in an airtight container the fridge for up to 1 week)
3
Heat the olive oil in a large, ovenproof frying pan or shallow casserole. Add the onion and sauté over a low heat for 7–8 minutes until slightly softened, then add the garlic, 2 tbsp of the panca chilli paste and 1 tbsp of the amarillo paste and cook for a further 2–3 minutes until the garlic has softened but not taken on any colour. Season well with salt and pepper
4
Add the red pepper, tomato and tomato purée, and stir to combine. Cover with a lid and simmer over a low heat for 5 minutes until the peppers have softened and the sliced tomatoes have collapsed down, then remove the lid and allow the sauce to reduce for 3–4 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Use a ladle to spoon half the mixture into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, then return it to the pan and stir to combine
5
Use the back of a tablespoon to make 4 indentations in the vegetable mixture and break an egg into each hollow. Cover the pan and leave it on the hob for 5 minutes to cook the eggs
6
Remove from the heat and sprinkle with cheddar cheese, chopped spring onion and the chopped and whole coriander leaves, and serve with slices of toast on the side, if you wish
  • 50g of cheddar, grated
  • sourdough bread, toasted, to serve
  • 2 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 4 sprigs of coriander, leaves roghly chopped, plus a few whole

Martin Morales is the chef, restaurateur and founder of the Michelin-Guide listed Peruvian restaurants Ceviche Soho, Andina, Ceviche Old St and the AA Rosette awarded Casita Andina in Soho.

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